The question: It turns out that going bald can harm a lot more than just your ego. Previousstudies have demonstrated a link between baldness and an increased risk of heart disease, but this time around, researchers wanted to test if merely looking old correlated with a higher risk of cardiovascular problems. Specifically, they analyzed thousands of subjects for six tell-tale signs of aging: Receding hairlines, bald heads, creases near the ear lobes, fatty deposits near the eyes, gray hair, and face wrinkles.

How it was tested: The research, presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Los Angeles by biochemist Dr. Anne Tybjaerg-Hansen of the University of Denmark, analyzed data on 11,000 people collected over a 35-year period. At the start of the study all participants were age 40 or older.

The outcome: Researchers found that two of the factors — gray hair and wrinkles — didn't have any discernible connection to heart disease. However, people who had "at least three of the other four aging traits had a 57 percent increased risk of heart attack and a 39 percent increased risk for heart disease," says Eryn Brown at the Los Angeles Times, even when other risk factors were accounted for. In other words: If you have some three-part combination of a receding hairline, bald head, creases near the ears, or puffy fat deposits near the eye, it may mean bad news for your heart.

What the experts say: "Looking old for your age marks poor cardiovascular health," says study leader Tybjaerg-Hansen. For medical professionals, "checking these visible aging signs should be a routine part of every doctor's physical examination," she says. It's true, says Dr. Kathy Magliato, a heart surgeon at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. "We're so rushed to put on a blood pressure cuff or put a stethoscope on the chest" that visible signs of risk are often missed.